Time within the ruins flowed erratically.
Sometimes the sun disappeared for entire days, and the sky became a blanket of motionless ashes; other times, light streamed through the cracks in the ancient walls as if the heavens themselves were watching the cultivator seated among forgotten formations.
Jun Tian remained at the altar of the Eternal Formations Sect.
His body emanated a dense and refined aura—quiet, yet powerful.
Golden lines pulsed beneath his skin: the runes of the Heavenly Soul Link. Around him, a bluish spiritual mist moved in geometric patterns, obeying his will.
Yue Lian watched him silently, floating above the circle of formation.
"The link between you and Tian Ling is deepening," she said, her voice as soft as a thought. "I can feel the spiritual flow expanding, as if you are both evolving together."
Jun Tian opened his eyes. Deep within his irises, sparks of dark light flickered before disappearing.
"Tian Ling is moving quickly. The transfer runes have already sent several spirit cores and rare herbs. My cultivation is progressing without interruption."
He frowned for a moment.
— But there's something strange… Since the last transmission, the flow of the link seems to… breathe.
Yue Lian tilted her head.
— Breathe?
— Yes. It's as if the connection has its own rhythm. As if it has… life.
Before she could answer, a subtle vibration ran through the ground.
The ancient formations reacted with almost imperceptible sounds, as if something awakened within the stones.
Yue Lian descended and touched the ground with light feet.
— This feeling… — she murmured. — It's not natural. The energy of chaos, even sealed within you, can alter any spiritual structure around it. It doesn't follow rules.
Jun Tian closed his eyes, concentrating. The link with Tian Ling expanded in his mind: fragments of vision emerged — dark mountains, misty rivers, and, amidst it all, golden flashes of something observing its clone from a distance.
Before he could delve deeper, a gust of wind swept through the ruins, carrying ancient dust.
Formations on the ground suddenly lit up, revealing archaic symbols almost erased by time.
Jun Tian stood up.
— This… wasn't me.
Yue Lian approached, placing an ethereal hand over the glowing symbols.
— Spiritual convergence runes… but they're channeling something wrong. — Her eyes narrowed. — They're not drawing Qi from the world. They're drawing something from within you.
The light intensified.
The soul seal on Jun Tian's chest glowed, and a stream of dark energy escaped, slithering like a living serpent.
Yue Lian recoiled—that energy had a density and presence that transcended any spiritual logic of the world.
Jun Tian clenched his fist and suppressed the energy. It returned to his body, and the formations faded.
Silence.
For long moments, neither of them spoke.
Then Yue Lian broke the silence, her voice soft yet deep:
— This energy… even sealed, reacts to you. It's not passive, Jun Tian. It lives.
Jun Tian kept his gaze steady.
What if it's always been a part of me?
Yue Lian hesitated, something rare. The light in her eyes flickered, as if ancient memories were touching her consciousness.
"The seal… wasn't made to contain her." She placed her hand on his chest. "It was made to protect you from her."
Jun Tian remained motionless.
"Then who placed the seal?"
Yue Lian took a deep breath, almost a sigh.
"I don't know. But I recognize the pattern." She closed her eyes. "It's not human. It's much older."
"Older than the sects of this world?"
"Much older." Her fingers glided over the soft glow of the seal. "This seal bears the signature of someone who understood the Dao of Chaos."
Jun Tian's heart raced.
"So someone who understood chaos… touched my soul before I came to this world."
"And perhaps that person is still watching you," she said softly.
The ruins seemed to listen, motionless.
Jun Tian closed his eyes.
"Whoever it is… when the seal breaks, I will know the truth."
The runes on the altar responded to his thought. Lines of golden and black energy intertwined around him, forming symbols that resembled living creatures.
Yue Lian watched in silence, between fear and fascination.
She understood something she preferred not to say:
that power was not just a remnant of chaos.
It was the true essence of Jun Tian, slowly awakening.
And, far away, Tian Ling raised his gaze to the misty sky, feeling the pulse echo in his shared soul.
A slight smile touched his expression.
"So… the true path has begun."